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Portuguese A level at St Charles Catholic Sixth Form College

Course description

Portuguese is the third most spoken European language in the world, being the official language of nine countries in four different continents. For this reason, studying this language can be an open door of opportunities to work abroad in different areas
such as tourism and oil industries, or NGOs in either Portugal, Brazil or Africa.

Our lessons are inspiring and interesting. We focus on many different contemporary topics of the Lusophone world (Portuguese speaking countries) such as music, cinema, sports, gastronomy, and the different traditions and politics of all Lusophone countries
(Portuguese speaking countries).

Studying Portuguese can be socially important, especially if the student has an interest on following up a career working for an NGO or the environment.

Course content

The course is assessed gradually by the teacher during the year in the form of essays, translations and individual projects. Texts are drawn from contemporary sources such as magazines, newspapers, reports and books.

Reading any book in Portuguese, or watching films will be helpful but it’s also recommended to take the time daily to read the newspaper such as Publico on www.publico.pt

The classes are divided by using the four skills but focusing mainly on reading, writing and listening as there is no oral assessment

Entry requirements

6 GCSEs at grade A*- C (including English Language), usually also a GCSE in Portuguese (C or above) or an equivalent.

Students who have travelled or worked in a Portuguese speaking country, as well as those who have an interest in politics and the traditions of the Lusophone world, will adapt easily to the course.

Assessment

Reading and Writing (2.5 hours)

The question paper is in two sections:

A: Response to a listening text/ Writing: Two or three texts are played requiring a number of short target-language responses. One passage is set for translation from English into Portuguese.

B: Reading and Writing: Candidates are required to respond to two printed target-language stimulus by writing two reports or articles of about 200 words in the target language.

Listening, Reading and Writing (2 hours 45 minutes)

The translation is from Portuguese into English and there is one essay section of minimum 250 words in length on topics studied during their course of study.

Financial information

All students must have a folder, an exercise book and stationary in every lesson.

Future opportunities

Studying Portuguese can lead to a career in teaching, translation or interpreting but also in law, diplomacy or business. Studying a modern European language spoken in four different continents will be ideal for those wanting to work in business (oil, building,
sea, cotton, coffee, cork, fashion, design, shoe wear, agriculture or wine) but also work in the tourism industry (in Brazil, Portugal or Cape Verde) or in renewable industries.

How to apply

If you want to apply for this course, you will need to contact St Charles Catholic Sixth Form College directly.